Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold was not exactly left impressed by the performance of Matt Doherty on Wednesday night.
Antonio Conte’s men strolled to a comfortable 2-0 victory on the south coast which saw them close the gap on the top four to three points.
Is top four still on?
Yes
No
Doherty has played a big role under the Italian recently having started the last four games in the Premier League in which he has been able to complete all 90 minutes three times (via Transfermarkt).
However, Wednesday night was not one of them as he was taken off with just over 10 minutes remaining against Brighton & Hove Albion.
And it was apparent the Irishman did not have much of an impact on the game with Gold awarding him just 5/10 in his player ratings:
“Not many chances to attack but defended well down his flank before coming off in the final 10 minutes,” wrote Gold for football.london.
TIF Thoughts on Gold’s comments…
Gold claimed Doherty had a solid defensive display at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday and given Brighton didn’t manage a shot on target that could appear true.
The stats do not exactly back up the argument, though. Doherty did not record a single tackle, clearance or interception and was unable to land a successful cross or key pass, as well as losing possession 15 times (via SofaScore).
Perhaps it was a case of the Spurs backline providing Doherty with a quiet night on the right rather than a poor display from the Irishman.
In other news: ‘Arms spread in disbelief’ – Journalist reveals Tottenham ace left Conte furious